Meeting Mary
by LadyKailitha
Summary: John drags his flatmate to help him pick someone Sherlock won't drive off. The results are surprising. For the both of them. John/Mary Morstan from the books


I'll admit it, most people would have thought me mad to do what I had that night. But Sherlock wasn't the only who could do experiments. But this was a social experiment and that meant Sherlock would be out of my depth and I would be able to date someone not like that last string of girlfriends.

What made it worse is that Sherlock pretending not keep them straight and that would only make them more infuriated and they'd leave quicker. I think Sherlock only did it because he liked Sarah and all these others were poor substitutes. So last night I called him on it and after some pressing he agreed.

So in the name of "science" I got him to come to the pub with me and help me weed out the ones he didn't like. He could just by looking at them tell the psychos with daddy issues from the good ones with stable jobs and caring personalities.

Sherlock entered the pub with a sniff of disdain and after five minutes he pulled out his phone and began texting someone. It went back and forth for awhile before I got annoyed.

"Sherlock you are suppose to be helping me." I hissed at him.

Without looking up from his texting, he pointed to the prettiest girl in the room. She was about 5'4 with long blonde hair and a heart shaped face. She looked fit but not thin. "Her. She's a social engineer who likes dogs and owns a bull dog named Gladstone. She's had a rough day at work but her two friends are too wrapped up in themselves notice she's not into the scene."

I stared at him blankly. He had worked the room in five minutes before he got bored and began texting?

"Lestrade has a case for me," He said again without looking up. I glanced up in interest.

"Do you want me along?" I was torn. I wanted to meet the girl Sherlock pointed out and see what new case Lestrade had whipped up for us this time.

"John," he looked at me as though I was missing the point. I thought about it for a minute.

He had been texting Lestrade. Clearly. He had done the texting first I was sure of it. So why? The light bulb went off in my head and Sherlock smiled.

"Right. Text or call if you need anything then." He sent me off with a pat on the shoulder and walked out on to the street.

The girl Sherlock pointed out to me broke away from her friends and made her way to the bar. Sensing my chance I to made my way to the bar just before I got there. I got a text.

Favorite drink: apple daiquiri

-SH

I frowned at it for a moment. Wait. Did he just tell me what her favorite drink was? He had. He was sure of it. So he went up to the bar and ordered her one just before she could open her mouth. She looked at me surprised.

"Thank you. That's my favorite drink. How did you know?" and just then he got another text.

Don't lie

-SH

John laughed. "Sorry about that. Needy roommate. And it's that roommate told me what your favorite drink was."

"Really? Don't tell me he was an ex of mine," she cringed expectedly.

I laughed again. "No, no nothing like that. He's just very observant," I said waving my hand to reassure her.

"Like that you're a social engineer and that it was a rough day at the office. And even though your friends suggested you come with them, they clearly aren't paying attention to the fact that you would much rather be home with your bull dog Gladstone."

This time she laughed. "All true. Now let me tell you something about you. You're name is John Watson and your needy roommate is Sherlock Holmes. From what the papers say, you're an retired army doctor."

"What gave me away?" I asked laughing with her.

"The texts actually. You'd get a text and instantly know something personal about me. Something that you wouldn't find looking me up on line. And I thought you looked familiar." John noticed that when she smiled, her green eyes lit up.

"Guilty as charged. But now you're one up on me. You know my name but I don't know yours."

"Mary Morstan." She said extending her hand.

I reached out my hand but before I could take it I got a text from Sherlock. Cursing under my breath I looked at it.

Need you after all. Sorry.

-SH

"Damn."

She just smiled. "He wants you to go doesn't, he?"

I sighed. "Yeah but I think he actually feels bad for it." She just smiled at me. And then suddenly I had the brilliant idea.

I sent a text back.

May I bring her with?

-JH

Could be useful

-SH

"Why don't you come with?" I asked.

"Did you ask first?" She asked nodding to my phone and then laughing when I blushed.

"I'd be honored to see the Great Sherlock Holmes at work." She smiled brilliantly at me. And I couldn't help but fear that she might not be interested in me. But for being Sherlock's sidekick.

We walked out of the pub and she didn't even bother telling her friends where she was going. She even grabbed my hand. My heart skipped a beat or two. Outside there was a police cruiser.

"Dr. Watson?" asked the constable standing next to it. When I nodded, he said "I've come to take you and Miss Morstan to the crime scene." I looked at Mary and she shrugged.

"I've never been in a cop car before. Might be interesting." The constable laughed and opened the back door for us. I let her get in first and when we were both in he closed the door and got into the driver's seat.

It took about fifteen minutes and we spent the ride chatting about her. Whenever she would ask about me I would laugh and tell her to read my blog.

Soon we were at the crime scene. Before us stood a tall dilapidated building. It looked as though it could housed a few good murders in it. Even Mary shivered.

"What sad building," she commented as we followed the constable who name we found out was Reggie Lewis into the building and up a couple flight of stairs.

"Can't go up the elevator. No power. Only power we got is the generator me and the boys hauled up so the lab boys could use all them fancy equipment."

We reached the third floor and we looked appreciatively at our companion at the amount of stairs him and a few others had to climb with the large generator that sat in the corner gently humming. The sound must have driven Sherlock nuts.

The floor opened up to a large room with next to nothing in it. Other then the police, the equipment, and Sherlock there was only support beams and the body of a man crushed under what could only be a bit of the floor above.

"Oi! I said John could come but who's this?" Lestrade called out annoyed when he saw Mary. But Sherlock ignored him.

"Oh good! John you're here. Mary would you do me the great favor of looking at the structure of the building? They had some government fellow in here earlier who said it was an accident but I know he's wrong but I can't figure out how."

"Sherlock!" Lestrade protested but the look on Sherlock's face book no argument. "All right, fine." Sherlock smirked at me when Lestrade turned back to his men and started bellowing orders.

"If you would be so kind?" Sherlock swept his hand gallantly in front of her.

"Of course. I would love to." She smiled back at me and then went about examining the rest of the floor while Sherlock led me over to the body. The constables had just managed to haul the last bit of concrete that Sherlock had clearly had them boxed for evidence. As they were in neat rows off to the side.

"I need you confirm whether or not he died before the collapse." He handed me some latex gloves and I put them on.

I was examining the body, when Mary came over.

"So what do you say? Was it an accident?" Sherlock asked her.

"Hmm... I'd say no. I would need my tools to make sure of course but despite what it looks like on the outside, it's strong and dependable on the inside."

I looked up in time to see Sherlock smirk.

"Just like John then." he told her. I blushed and went back to my examination as I could hear the laughter above me. _Well that's done it. Despite his earlier efforts he has blown it for me yet again. _I concentrated on the body. Somewhere in the middle I got a text but ignored it.

When I was done I stood up and pulled off the gloves. Sherlock broke off his conversation with Mary and I looked at the message as they came over.

Keep her

-SH

I laughed. Mary looked puzzled but Sherlock flashed on his dazzling genuine smiles.

All the cops looked at me in surprise.

"Hmmm... um... well." I cleared my throat. "From what I could see there are no other marks on the body. Only the crushing injuries. The most severe was the blow to the back of the head."

"Any chance it was done with a weapon like a pipe or baseball bat?" Lestrade asked as he came over too.

I shook my head. "No. You can clearly make out the damage is done by the falling ceiling. And if Mary is right, which I have no doubt-" she blushed a pretty shade of pink. "Then this man was murdered."

Sherlock started jumping up and down. "YES!" He hugged me and then hugged Mary. When everyone stared at him in shock he turned to me.

"Not good?"

I thought about for a second. "A bit not good, yeah." I hoped I was talking about the case and not that he just hugged my date.

"This is fantastic John!" He ran off. I just shook my head in his wake.

I turned to Lestrade. "You think you'll be needing us?" I asked indicating me and Mary with my finger moving back and forth between them.

"Nah, go ahead. Off with the pair of ya," he said waving them off.

We walked out to the street and saw a small park across the way and by mutual agreement we made our way over there and strolled through it.

I tucked my hands behind my back like I did when I walked with Sherlock.

"So now that you've met him what do you think?" It was the only topic I could think of. I wanted to know if i still had a chance with this brilliant, pretty, blonde.

"He's not what I expected to be honest."

"He was almost nice tonight. Usually he's more abrasive." But after the words left my mouth I knew that's not what she meant. "Sorry." I blushed.

"No, I didn't mean that. It's just he made those deductions so fast." I nodded.

"When I first met him after 30 seconds he knew I was a military doctor just returned from war." I laughed. "His first words to me were 'Afghanistan or Iraq'."

Surprise lit up her features.

"Really?" I nodded.

"Well then." She took my hand again and my heart started to pound in ways I didn't think was possible. I was so sure she could hear it trying to burst out my chest.

"So you have a blog?"

"Yes, originally it was a therapy thing but it helps getting the word out about our cases." I wondered if talking about the therapy thing was too soon.

"I suppose all soldiers go through some kind of therapy when they get home. So they could be better integrated into society." I breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. I didn't need to tell her about the wound, the shell of a person that I had become after being shot. Or the worse then a shell of a man I had become after The Fall as everyone had come to call it.

"I just one question." I cocked my head to the side in curiosity. "What were you laughing about back there?" She jerked her back toward the building we had vacated.

I laughed again. "I'll tell you later." She pouted and then looked at her watch.

"Well, it's getting late..." she said and we walked back the road to hail a cab. I got one for her and as she got in the cab she kissed me on the cheek and pressed something in my hand. I kept it clutched in my hand while I waved with the other.

It was her mobile number. I leaped up in the air. "Yes!" I hailed the next cab and was humming all the way home. Even the cab driver commented. But I didn't care. I had Mary's number!

I leaped out of the cab and was paying the driver when another cab pulled up behind it. As my driver pulled away Sherlock leaped out of his cab. He paid the driver and using those extra long legs of his was by my side in nothing at all.

"I didn't expect you to be home tonight," he said winking at me as he moved to open the door.

"Even I'm not that forward Sherlock." I rolled my eyes. "Besides. I don't even know if she likes me like that."

Sherlock rolled his eyes. "Of course she does." I stood there blinking as he walked up the stairs removing his scarf. I followed him numbly. I thought I had scored because I got her number but I could have gotten more. I silently cursed myself. She did take my hand after all.

I called her the next day. We actually had a few Sherlock free dates. Some times he'd pop up at the same restaurant. Some times he'd text me in the middle of a date and she'd send me off with a smile and a promise from me that I'd tell her all about before I put it up on my blog.

Some people said I had the patience of a saint but if I was a saint she was an angel. I had never met anyone who put up with me and Sherlock like she did.

One evening I caught Sherlock watching me with the most curious expression on his face. He looked... well sad. I hadn't seen this look since Irene Adler faked her death.

"What?" I asked. I was about ready to call Mycroft.

"You're leaving." He said. It wasn't a question. I blinked at him confused.

"No I'm not." I had no plans of leaving in the immediate future. "Where did you get that idea?"

He gave a pained smile. "Yes you are. Maybe not for awhile but I can see it in your eyes. Your focus is shifting. You still love the thrill of the chase but it doesn't have the same feel it once did."

I blinked. He had noticed something about me that I hadn't. I thought about the recent cases and the ones we had before and he was right. He always was. How could I have doubted him?

He pulled out something out of the cushions of his chair and tossed it on the table between us. I picked it up curiously.

It was an ad for a local jeweler. I stared at for a moment. And then suddenly it hit me. Why he thought I was leaving.

"Sherlock..." I saw that pained smile again.

"She's perfect for you John. You know it and she knows it. And know that if I need you for anything, she'll let you come running. And really that's all I really wanted. Your other girlfriends wanted all of you. They didn't want to share you with your crazy roommate. But Mary's different. She likes me. She understands that she can't keep you from wanting adventure. She loves your blog and to hear about the stories of what we do."

I looked at my best friend. He had done so much for me and now this. A tear streaked down my cheek.

"I don't know how I can repay you for everything you've done for me." I managed to choke out.

He was kneeling in front of me. "John, it's I who can't repay you. You have done so much for me. If I can repay you even this small favor, I wouldn't have even made a dent."

I put my arms around him and we said goodbye to the relationship we once had.

A couple months later I popped the question. Sherlock was made my best man. I would have no one else. I had Mike Stamford, Greg Lestrade and couple of the boys from my unit as groomsmen. Somehow Molly made into the line too as bridesmaid. Mycroft even showed up.

Of course I couldn't convince Sherlock to wear a tie or cuff links but I figured that would make him stand out as the best man. I believe his wedding present was to get Mycroft to pay for everything.

It was a lovely wedding with Sherlock only managing to piss off half of the guests with his deductions.

As we were leaving Sherlock took me aside.

"Just one more thing, John."

He held out a small box. And I took it from him confused. He had done so much for me already.

I opened it. With tears streaming down my cheeks, I hugged him. "Thanks Sherlock. This is best gift I have ever gotten next to you as a friend." He hugged me back and then just like that he was gone.

When I came back over to Mary she asked what he wanted but I could only shake my head. I would tell her later when we were on the train headed to Brighton.

And when I showed it to her on the train, she agreed that it was perfect. I was truly happy


End file.
